


Workplace Romance

by Hekate1308



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Human, CEO!Crowley, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-06-29 13:20:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19831075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hekate1308/pseuds/Hekate1308
Summary: Crowley’s new Sales and Marketing manager was irritating him. That in itself was not surprising; many, if not most people he met, and especially his employees, tended to irritate him.But Dean Smith was another matter entirely.The reason he irritated him was simply that he was – perfect.





	Workplace Romance

Crowley’s new Sales and Marketing manager was irritating him. That in itself was not surprising; many, if not most people he met, and especially his employees, tended to irritate him.

But Dean Smith was another matter entirely.

The reason he irritated him was simply that he was – perfect.

His reports lacked the usual typos, he had only been in the firm a month but had already closed three highly lucrative deals, and no matter what happened he always stayed professional, polite and friendly.

And it was driving. Crowley. Up. The. Wall.

Because – well –

Dean Smith also happened to be the most beautiful man he had ever set eyes on.

And Crowley had long since made a rule to never try and come on to his employees. Apart from the fact that it might lead to harassment charges if he ever pissed someone off (and he did so on a regular basis – he was nothing if not honest with himself), there might also be… personal complications from seeing someone he’d been in bed with every day.

The most worrying part of it all was that he was starting to suspect he might actually not have _minded_ seeing Dean Smith every day.

“Ketch industries seems interested” he was telling Mr. Smith during one of their many meetings. Maybe they were having to many of them; Crowley might have used them as an excuse to see more of him.

“If you don’t mind, sir” Dean Smith was one of the few who managed to use the word without sounding either sarcastic or scared.

He nodded.

“Ketch appears a bit… sketchy to me. His proposals are perfectly reasonable, but I think he has some ulterior motive. I took the liberty of looking at his firm’s history.”

Crowley raised an eyebrow, inviting him to continue.

“And it turns out that the reason it’s as big as it is – well, he likes to make deals and then slowly edge the competition out of the way. And in the end…”

“You think he might be interested in taking over?”

“Most definitely.”

“Well then, now we have a decision to make” Crowley drawled. “Do we proceed with caution, or do we teach him a lesson?”

And there was the spark in Dean’s again, the spark that now and then proved to Crowley that he was not as universally pleasant or friendly as he appeared to be. There was more to him than me the eye.

He had never been able to resist a challenge.

“A lesson, sir?”

“Oh yes. You see, I don’t like people taking advantage of others –“

He surprised Dean into laughter and felt both proud and slightly irritated that it meant so much to him. “Unless they have a good reason of course, and Mr. Ketch seems not to have one, or am I mistaken?”

Dean shook his head. “Sometimes, the firms he took over were too small to be real competition. Just did it for the sake of it.”

“Well then. Looks like someone should learn that people aren’t jus things to be broken.”

He’d been right.

There was more to his Sales and Marketing manager than met the eye.

The grin Dean Smith bestowed on him as an answer was positively feral, and Crowley reminded himself of his rule not to bed his employees with a sigh.

* * *

To get Arthur Ketch to walk right into the trap was frankly so easy it almost seemed insulting.

Dean had collected more information than just his firm’s history, it turned out.

He’d also done quite an impressive job of collecting all information all there was to be found about Ketch’s methods. “Usually, he finds a disgruntled employee who gives him all the insider information he needs.”

Crowley raised an eyebrow. “Well, Mr. Smith. Would you say that you feel somewhat disgruntled?”

“I could be persuaded to, sir, if it were for the good of the firm.”

Oh yes, Dean Smith was quite the interesting character.

“To be honest, the biggest problem is going to be to convince him that I am already angry. I haven’t been here long.”

“I assure you it won’t be a problem at all – I am well aware that most of my employees think I’m a bastard.”

“There is a difference between that and loathing someone though. They might think you’re a bustard, but they know you’re a fair bastard.”

“And what do you think, Mr. Smith?”

“Oh, I know perfectly well that it is none of my business to think anything about my employer unless he gives me orders.”

Wasn’t that an answer, Crowley thought. “And if I ordered you to tell me what you think of me?”

“Wouldn’t that be unfair? Don’t ruin it sir, I just told you you’re a _fair_ bastard.”

Somewhat belatedly, Crowley realized that they had gone from planning how to take down Ketch to flirting.

He reminded himself once more of his rule.

Dean seemed to sense his change of mood, for he bid him goodbye to return to work shortly after.

* * *

A few days later – days in which Crowley had responsibly not demanded that he come to his office every day to give him a report – Dean let him know that Ketch had swallowed the bait. “Really, it was too easy” he told him. “All I had to do was give him some _woe is me_ speech and bat my eyelashes at him.”

The surge of jealousy Crowley felt was as unnecessary as it was unwelcome. For God’s sake, Dena hadn’t meant it when he had flirted with Ketch. He had just done what he needed to do.

“So…” he said. “And what did you two decide to do?”

“He does expect me to get him our books. Don’t worry; I am already creating fake ones.”

“Forgery? My my, Mr. Smith…”

“It’s alright, I don’t think my bastard of a boss will mind.”

No, he didn’t mind in the slightest, and normally, that would be cause for concern but somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to worry when it came to him. “Alright then. Just make sure they’re good enough forgeries to fool Ketch, but not the authorities.”

They didn’t have to explicitly state what they planned on doing. They understood one another perfectly.

“Don’t worry sir, I know what I am doing” he said, his eyes sparkling.

Crowley was starting to wonder if there were some things to know about Dean Smith that weren’t there to read for everyone in his personal file.

“And what about the Roman account?” he asked casually, hoping to surprise him, but of course Dean simply jumped into the explanation he had asked for.

He was starting to think he might have met his match.

Not his match as in – well, of course not; but still. It was important to have employees one could trust. Even if this was the first time this had happened to him.

* * *

During his and Ketch’s next appointment, it wasn’t difficult to see that he was of the impression that he’d soon be talking over Crowley’s firm.

When Dean entered with a file, Ketch’s smile turned downright predatory, even if he acted like they hadn’t met before. “And who is that?”

“Dean Smith, director of Sales and Marketing” he introduced himself, looking down on Ketch through his eyelashes.

Crowley fought down something that felt too much like jealousy.

“One of my best employees” he said instead.

“And coming from Fergus Crowley, this is a compliment indeed” Ketch said, shaking Dean’s hand.

“Just trying my best, Mr. Ketch” he said in a decidedly flirty tone.

“I am sure it shows.”

Crowley cleared his throat and Ketch threw him a knowing glance.

Really, he was anything but subtle. God alone knew how he had taken over so many firms.

* * *

When Ketch left, he all but insisted on Dean accompanying him out. Crowley wasn’t surprised. It wasn’t difficult to guess what he was planning to do.

And indeed, Dean returned five minutes later. “Guess what. Ketch asked me out to dinner.”

“Of course he did. He was rather busy undressing you with his eyes, Mr. Smith.” He was annoyed at how – well, annoyed he sounded.

“Oh don’t worry sir. Ketch isn’t my type. And _I’ve_ already got my eyes on someone else.”

And he actually winked at him.

Crowley would have liked to reprimand him – he had never encouraged familiarity in his employees – but to his dismay, he found himself struck speechless.

Dean left his office whistling.

Crowley was beginning to think that, if there had been a heart inside of him after all, he might have been in some danger.

What an exhilarating thought.

* * *

The next day, Dean looked tired, and Crowley, to is utter bafflement, had to fight the urge to ask if he was alright.

Ad then he remembered that Ketch had asked him out and decided he had to find out what was going on. “What happened last night?”

Dean looked at him, then shrugged. “The usual thing that happens when a creepy guy hits on you.”

“Did he try –“ Crowley saw red. He was going to strangle Ketch with his bar hands… or choke him with one of his terrible ties.

“Oh don’t worry, I know how to handle douche bags.”

He probably had had to learn that rather early, considering how irritatingly beautiful he was. “I see.”

“He still thinks I’m into him – naturally, they always do – but that’s just to our advantage, really.”

 _Our_? Dean Smith seems to think of them as a team, now.

Crowley wished he’d mind.

* * *

“He actually believes you are committing tax fraud on a grand scale, can you believe that? As if you could ever be so stupid as that amateur Al Capone –“

Crowley wasn’t quite sure how their meeting had turned into them having lunch together – he couldn’t recall when he’d last had a meal with someone without it being a business date.

Not that this was anything different, he reminded himself. “So what is he going to do?”

“Oh, call in the FBI, make it all official” Den grinned. “He’s got something coming, though. None of the white-collar crime guys can possibly overlook that those documents aren’t real.”

“And you are sure there is no proof that you’ve ever been in contact?”

“Please, that’s not my first rodeo.”

“You keep surprising me, Mr. Smith.”

“Oh, Dean please. Mr. Smith’s not even my father.”

“You did change your name, then.” Crowley had bene wondering for a while. Dean Smith, the perfect employee who invariably has a salad for lunch, didn’t strike him as someone who would happily implicate another man in a crime he hadn’t committed.

Dean grinned. “Let’s just say I had a bit of a wild phase in my youth, and one of my friends is good with computers.”

How… interesting. “You do realize you just admitted openly to lying to your boss?”

“Oh no, am I fired?”

“What, and actually causing you to become _disgruntled_? I don’t make enemies of clever men when I can avoid it.”

Dean raised an eyebrow. “So you think I’m clever?”

Undoubtedly clever enough to realize what a big compliment it was, coming from Crowley. He hadn’t bestowed it often.

He nodded.

Dean sighed. “Too bad I am about to ruin that impression. You see, I am going to do something very stupid in a few moments.”

Crowley was not going to give him the satisfaction of asking, but was rewarded for his silence when Dean grabbed his tie and dragged him into a kiss.

Well.

Two could play at that game.

* * *

“You have to admit it’s entertaining” his employee-turned-lover (to Crowley’s surprise, their lunch break spent together in a first-class hotel room hadn’t been the end) said as they watched Ketch being bundled away by the FBI a few days later. “You could crack a smile.”

“That would ruin my image, darling.”

Dean grinned. “If you say so, Peaches.”

* * *

That night, as they lay next to each other, Crowley drawled, “You know, Ketch might be an amateur, but he’s given me an idea.”

Dean rolled over and leaned on his elbow to look down at him. “Oh? What kind?”

“While I do understand that your undoubtably complex and strong morals forbid you from completely imitating Ketch’s methods, there are some organizations where a change of command would be highly recommendable, even beneficial to the employees.”

Dean looked at him. “Ah. Dick Roman.”

“It’s a start.”

Dean grinned and leaned down to kiss him. “Sounds like a great idea.”

Yes, Crowley thought, rolling them over so he could probably reciprocate, even if sometimes, thinking of their first lunch, bad ideas did turn out very well too.

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, so it wasn't quite Dean Smith!/Crowley, but that pure bean probably wouldn't interest Crowley XD. Ah well, hope you enjoyed it!


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